Howard Schultz’s name is “mud” in the eyes of millions of Americans who don’t want another gazillionaire to seek the presidency of the United States.
Count me as one of them.
Schultz says he is considering an independent run for president in 2020. He has long been aligned with Democrats, but now he says Democrats and Republicans have wrecked the political process. He wants to fix it. So he would seek the presidency as a “centrist independent.”
What are his skills? What commends this guy to become president?
Well, he is the former CEO of Starbucks, Inc., the Seattle-based coffee shop chain is noted for its “venti”-sized lattes, mochas and cappuccinos. Schultz calls himself a “self-made” mogul, who grew up “in the projects” and had to fight his way to the top of the business world.
Come to think of it, the current president of the United States said much the same thing as he campaigned for the only office he ever sought. Schultz has that in common with Donald Trump, too: He’s never run for public office; he has never served the public — apart from serving them (arguably) overpriced hot beverages.
Do I want another rich guy with no public service experience running for president? No. I want an experienced politician, someone who knows how government works, knows its limitations and understands that a president is not a dictator. Donald Trump hasn’t reacted well to the notion that he’s not a business CEO, that he is part of a three-legged stool that props up the federal government.
Presidents are not empowered to move mountains simply with the stroke of a pen, unlike a business magnate. Does the Starbucks guy understand that? I would not bet real money that he does.
There’s also the other back story in play. A Howard Schultz independent candidacy well might peel off votes from whomever the Democratic Party nominates in the summer of 2020 and it well might help ensure the re-election of the guy many millions of us do not want returned to the nation’s highest office.
Donald Trump can bellow all he wants about how “strong” the state of our Union is under his watch. I happen to disagree vehemently. The Union is fractured. It needs repair. It needs a president who understands government and knows how to work its complex machinery.
Trump isn’t the guy to do it. Neither is Howard Schultz.
I’ll just declare it up front: I want Americans to elect a politician as president of the United States. Hey, man . . . it’s a political job!